Gripping device in machines for handling tobacco



N 7. 1939- E. R. DAHLSTROM GRIPPING DEVICE IN MACHiNES FOR HANDLINGTOBACCO Filed May 5, 195a Patented Nov. 7, 1939 GRIlBPINGDEVICE INMACHINES FOR 1 I HANDLING TOBACCO Ernst Ruben liahlstiiim, Alsten,

to.. ,Aktiebolaget Formator, Stockholm,

Sweden, assign- Sweden a ,joint stock company of Sweden Application May3, 1938, Serial No.-205,853

In Sweden 11 Claims.

This invention relates to devices for the transfer of tobacco or thelike in equal or adjustably predetermined portions from a storagereservoir to a discharge place, the portioning being effected by meansof a mechanically drivenpincher shaped gripping member. Moreparticularly the invention relates to such devices in which the pincherdue to its own weight, and possibly also to the weight of means carryingsame, is allowed to penetrate the tobacco mass in said reservoir for thepurpose of accommodating its operation to varying levels of the tobaccomass in the reservoir. It is desirable that the tobacco mass in thereservoir shall be in a loose and readily separable condition, so thatthe gripper will easily penetrate the tobacco mass without compressingsame. It is a main object "of my invention to provide simple andefiicient means for preventing the gripper from penetrating too deeplyinto such tobacco mass. Another'object of my invention is to providesimple and efiicient means for controlling the penetration of thegripper into the tobacco mass. M

To the accomplishment of they foregoing and such other objects as mayhereinafter appear, my invention resides in the construction and novelcombination of parts fully .described hereinafter, illustrated in theaccompanying drawing, and pointed out in the claims appended hereto, itbeing understood that various changes in the form, proportion andarrangement with in the scope of the claims maybe resorted to withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention.

In the drawing Fig. 1 is an elevational view, partly in section, of adevice embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same device, part of the tobacco reservoirhaving been broken away.

Fig. 3 is a front view of the essential parts of the gripping device,and 1 Figs. 4 and 5 are a plan view and a side view, respectively, onanenlarged scale of one of the parts shown in Fig. 3. l

Referring to the drawing, the reservoir l for loose tobacco mass issecured .to a rotary vertical shaft 2 which is mounted in the frame 3and driven by any suitable driving mechanism, such as that described andillustrated in the patent to Granstedt No. 1,619,507, dated March 1,1927, so that the reservoir is at rest when a tobacco gripping pincheris moved into the tobacco mass in the reservoir. Y

4 and 5 designate thetwo legsof the-pincher,

May 7, 1937 which moves down into and up from the tobacco mass in thereservoir 1 in such manner as to fetch a tobacco portion from said masseach time it moves upwardly and to feed it to a delivery chute 33. Thelegs 4 and 5 are each se- 5 cured'to one of two parallel shafts 6 and 1,respectively, by hub portions 38 and 39. The shaft Sis turnable in abearing sleeve 8 secured in the one end of 1 an angle lever 9 the otherend of which is pivotally mounted on a shaft II], which 10 isrotatablymounted at the side of the reservoir I in a bracket 31 secured to theframe 3.

Pivotally mounted on the shaft 6 are two relatively short bell-cranklevers, which carry by means of their upwardly directed arms H arotatably journalled shaft l2 and by means of their laterally directedarms 36 the leg shaft 1. Secured to the shaft I2 is one end of a longlever l3, which is bent similarly to the lever 9 and extendssubstantially parallel to the same. The other end of the lever I3 ispivotally mounted on a pin 40, which is secured in a projection I4 ofthe bracket 31. The levers 9 and I3 together with the above-mentionedparts, by which they are suspended, are arranged so as to form aparallel motion mechanism. The arm 9 has two hubs l5 and I1, which areturnably mounted on the shaft Ill and are rigidly interconnected bymeans of a bar l6. Extending from the hub I1 is an arm I8 which ispivotally and slidably connected'to a rod I!) by means of a pin 20 whichprojects into a longitudinal slot 2| in said rod. The said rod I9 isdriven up and down by means of the main shaft of the machine and anintermediary cam, as described and illustrated in the Patent No.1,619,507. The arrangement is such that, when the rod l9 moves up anddown, the arms l3 and 9 will move between the position shown in fulllines in Fig. 1 and the position above the chute 33 as shown in dash anddot 40 lines in the same figure, and that during said movements theabove-mentioned parallel motion mechanism will cause the pincher leg 5to always be suspended in a substantially vertical 5 position.Furthermore, the pincher legs 4 and 5 obtain their motion towards andfrom each otherat-proper times by means of a mechanism driven from themain shaft of the machine, so that the apparatus will operate completelyautomatically.

The last mentioned mechanism comprises a rod 22 which is driven up anddown by a cam operated by the main shaft, as described and illustratedin the Patent No. 1,619,507, and is connected to an arm 23 by means of apivot 25, said arm 23 being secured to the shaft ID. The turningmovement of the shaft I is transmitted to the shaft 6 of the pincher leg4 by means of a bent arm 58 which at one of its ends is pivotallyconnected to an arm 52 secured to the shaft 18, and at its other endpivoted to an arm 54 which is secured to the shaft 6. Secured to theshafts 8 and l are intermeshing gear wheels 32 which transmit theturning movements of the shaft 6 to the shaft 1.

The pincher legs 4 and 5 are each composed of a lower gripper plate andan upper holder plate 53, the latter connecting the legs to the shafts 8and 1. The lower plates are pressed by springs 51 which urge themtowards each other against shoulders 55 on the plates 53. At somedistance from the free end of the flat gripper plate 56 on its innerside is secured a forked plate 58 having legs 62 which are bent upwardsand straddle the opposite gripper plate 51 which is curved. The innerpart 59 of the plate 58 I forms a transverse wall within the pincherwhen closed. The edge 63 of the plate 58 is located somewhat higher thanthe part 59 thereof. When the pincher has sunk into the tobacco mass tothe level of the plate 58, the plate forms a supporting member by meansof which the pincher will rest upon the tobacco mass in the reservoir 1.Thereby the plate 58 will limit the quantity of tobacco mass to befetched by the pincher. Said quantity can be regulated by verticaladjustment of the plate 58. To this endthe flat gripper plate 58 hasoblong holes 68 through which threaded bolts SI for the carrier plate 58project. Thereby the carrier plate can be secured at variable heights tothe plate 56. The same result may be obtained also if the plate 58 isattached directly to and move in timed relationship to the means fordriving and supporting the pincher, such as thearms for suspending same.Thus the invention contemplates also such an arrangement. Instead of theplate 58, some other equivalent member, such as a lattice or the like,may be used. The said carrier may constitute a bent part of any one ofthe pincher legs.

In operation, when the pincher is about to move down into the reservoirl and fetch a portion of tobacco the legs 4 and 5 are moved apart bymeans of the arm 50. To this end, the rod 22 turns the arm 23 downwardsso that the shaft I8 is turned correspondingly. When the rod I9 is moveddownwards the pincher is allowed to move downwards towards the tobaccomass in the reservoir Due to the weight of the pincher and itssuspending arms the pincher is moved towards and into the tobacco massuntil the carrier plate 58 rests upon the tobacco mass withoutundulycompressing same. Thereby the tobacco mass embraced by the pincher legsis limited substantially to a predetermined amount. Thereafter the rod22 is moved upwards turning the shaft l8 and thereby, by theintermediary of the parts 52, 58, 54 and 32, also turning the shafts 6and I, so that the pincher legs 4 and 5 are moved towards each other andyielding grip a portion of tobacco the amount of which has beencontrolled by the plate 58. Thereafter the rod l9 will move the arm i8upwards whereby the arm 9 lifts the closed pincher out of the tobaccomass and. moves it into its delivery position in which the rod 22 willopen the pincher to drop the tobacco portion into the chute 33.

' I claim;

1. In a tobacco portioning machine, the combination with a reservoir fortobacco, of a device for removing portions of the tobacco from saidreservoir, said device comprising a pincher, mechanism for moving saidpincher into the tobacco mass in said reservoir and for lifting saidpincher from said reservoir, mechanism for opening said pincher and forclosing said pincher to grasp a tobacco portion in said reservoir, andmeans for limiting the sinking of said pincher into the tobacco mass,said means comprising a supporting member connected to said pincherdevice and having a bottom side extending substantially transversely tosaid pincher at a fixed distance from its bottom edge so as to rest uponthe tobacco mass in said reservoir and prevent said pincher frompenetrating completely into the tobacco mass.

2. In a tobacco portioning machine, the combination with a reservoir fortobacco, of a device for removing portions of the tobacco from saidreservoir, said device comprising a pincher, mechanism movable to permitsaid pincher to sink by its weight into the tobacco mass in saidreservoir and movable to lift said pincher from said reservoir,mechanism for opening said pincher and for closing said pincher to graspa tobacco portion in said reservoir, and means for limiting the sinkingof said pincher into the tobacco mass, said means comprising a carriermember connected to said pincher device and having a bottom sideextending substantially transversely to said pincher at a fixed distancefrom its bottom edge so as to rest upon the tobacco mass in saidreservoir and prevent said pincher from penetrating completely into thetobacco mass.

3. In a tobacco portioning machine, the combination with a reservoir fortobacco, of a device for removing portions of the tobacco from saidreservoir, said device comprising a pincher, mechanism for moving saidpincher into the tobacco mass in said reservoir and for lifting saidpincher from said reservoir, mechanism for opening said pincher and forclosing said pincher to grasp a tobacco portion in said reservoir, andmeans for limiting the movement of said pincher down into the tobaccomass, said means comprising a support member projecting from saidpincher and having a bottom side extending substantially transversely tosaid pincher at a fixed distance from the bottom edge so as to rest uponthe tobacco mass in said reservoir and prevent said pincher frompenerating completely into the tobacco mass.

4. In a tobacco portioning machine, the combination with a reservoir fortobacco, of a device for removing portions of the tobacco from saidreservoir, said device comprising a pincher having gripping legs,mechanism for moving said pincher into the tobacco mass in saidreservoir and for lifting said pincher from said reservoir, mechanismfor opening said pincher and for closing said pincher to grasp a tobaccoportion in said reservoir, and means for limiting the movement of saidpincher down into the tobacco mass, said means comprising a supportmember connected to said-device and having a bottom side extendingbetween said gripping legs at a fixed distance from each end of saidlegs substantially transversely to said pincher so as to rest upon thetobacco mass in said reservoir and prevent said pincher from penetratingcompletely into the tobacco'mass.

5. In a tobacco machine, the combination with a reservoir for tobacco,of a device for removing portions of the tobacco from said reservoir,said device comprising a pincher, a mechanism for moving said pincherinto the tobacco mass in said reservoir and adapted to lift said pincherfrom said reservoir, a mechanism for opening said pincher and forclosing said pincher to grasp a tobacco portion in said reservoir, andmeans for limiting the movement of said pincher down into the tobaccomass, said means comprising a carrier member connected to said deviceand having a bottom side that extends substantially transversely to saidpincher so as to rest upon the tobacco mass in said reservoir, saidcarrier member being adjustable vertically relative to said pincher.

6. In a tobacco portioning machine, the combination with a reservoir fortobacco, of a device for removing portions of the tobacco from saidreservoir, said device comprising a pincher, mechanism for moving saidpincher into the tobacco mass in said reservoir and for lifting saidpincher from said reservoir, mechanism for opening said pincher and forclosing said pincher to grasp a tobacco portion in said reservoir, andmeans for limiting the movement of said pincher down into the tobaccomass, said means comprising a plate projecting substantiallytransversely from said pincher at a fixed distance from its lower edgeso as to rest upon said tobacco mass in said reservoir and support saidpincher and prevent said pincher from penetrating completely into thetobacco mass.

7. In a tobacco machine, the combination with a reservoir for tobacco,of a device for removing portions of the tobacco from said reservoir,said device comprising a pincher, a mechanism for moving said pincherinto the tobacco mass in said reservoir and adapted to lift said pincherfrom said reservoir, a mechanism for opening said pincher and forclosing said pincher to grasp a tobacco portion in said reservoir, andmeans for limiting the movement of said pincher down into the tobaccomass, said means comprising a carrier member connected to said deviceand having a bottom side that extends substantially transversely to saidpincher so as to rest upon the tobacco mass in said reservoir, saidcarrier member straddling said pincher.

8. In a tobacco machine, the combination with a reservoir for tobacco,of a device for removing portions of the tobacco from said reservoir,said device comprising a pincher having gripping legs, a mechanism formoving said pincher into the tobacco mass in said reservoir and adaptedto lift said pincher from said reservoir, a mechanism for opening saidpincher and for closing said pincher to grasp a tobacco portion in saidreservoir, and means for limiting the movement of said pincher down intothe tobacco mass, said means comprising a carrier member connected tosaid device and having a bottom side that extends between said grippinglegs substantially transversely to said pincher so as to rest upon thetobacco mass in said reservoir, said carrier member being secured to oneof said legs, an end of said bottom side opposite from said leg beingturned upwards.

9. In a tobacco machine, the combination with a reservoir for tobacco,of a device for removing portions of the tobacco from said reservoir,said device comprising a pincher having gripping legs, a mechanism formoving said pincher into the tobacco mass in said reservoir and adaptedto lift said pincher from said reservoir, a mechanism for opening saidpincher and for closing said pincher to grasp a tobacco portion in saidreservoir, and means for limiting the movement, of said pincher downinto the tobacco mass, said means comprising a carrier member connectedto said device and having a bottom side that extends between saidgripping legs substantially transversely to said pincher so as to restupon the tobacco mass in said reservoir, said carrier member beingsecured to one of said legs, which is substantially flat and operablyconnected to said mechanism so as to be moved vertically down into thetobacco mass.

10. A tobacco portioning machine including a storage reservoir, a drivenmember, a pincher,

means for causing said pincher to grasp a portion 30 of the tobacco massin the storage reservoir and to deliver it from the reservoir upon theoperation of said driven member, and a member adapted to be movedtogether with said pincher into the reservoir, said member having abottom side extending substantially transversely to said pincher at afixed distance from its ends and being adapted to rest upon the tobaccomass in said reservoir and thereby limit the penetration of said pincherinto said tobacco mass and prevent said pincher from penetratingcompletely into the tobacco mass.

11. A tobacco portioning machine including a storage reservoir, a drivenmember, a pincher, means for causing said pincher to grasp a portion ofthe tobacco mass in the storage reservoir and to deliver it from thereservoir upon the operation of said driven member, and a member adaptedto be moved together with said pincher into the reservoir, said memberhaving a bottom side extending substantially transversely to saidpincher at a fixed distance from its ends and being adapted to rest uponthe tobacco mass in said reservoir and thereby limit the penetration ofsaid pincher into said tobacco mass, said member forming part of saidpincher and preventing said pincher from penetrating completely into thetobacco mass.

ERNST RUBEN DAHLSTRGM.

